Following a federal investigation,
the violators may also face civil penalties and criminal fines,
along with forfeiture of the valuable shipment of fish. Seizure
of the shipment harvested by the Arvisa I, an Uruguayan-flagged
commercial fishing vessel, occurred with coordination from the
Department of State and counterparts in Australia.

"This seizure is another
example of our commitment to ensuring that Chilean sea bass marketed,
sold and consumed in the U.S. is legal product and not contributing
to the depletion of this valuable resource," said Bill Hogarth,
director of NOAA Fisheries. "I want to send a message to
all those attempting to import illegal Chilean sea bass into
the United States that we will catch you and confiscate your
shipment."

This seizure is one of several
recent cases involving the attempted importation of illegally
harvested Chilean sea bass. In April, NOAA special agents seized
approximately 32 tons of Chilean sea bass landed in New Bedford
and Los Angeles. Last July, two shipments totaling 23 tons were
seized in Newark.

Chilean sea bass, also known
as Patagonian toothfish, is a high value fish that is primarily
harvested from waters surrounding Antarctica. The fishery is
managed internationally under the Convention
for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.
Certain fishing grounds of the Patagonian toothfish fishery are
at risk of becoming overfished, largely due to illegal and unreported
fishing.

The United States is a member
of the convention and strongly supports international efforts
to protect this fishery and eliminate illegal fishing for Chilean
sea bass. As part of these efforts, NOAA and the U.S. Customs
Service aggressively monitor imports of Chilean sea bass to ensure
that imported fish are lawfully harvested and comply with all
convention requirements.

NOAA's National Marine Fisheries
Service is dedicated to protecting and preserving our nation's
living marine resources through scientific research, management,
enforcement, and the conservation of marine mammals and other
protected marine species and their habitats. For more information
on NOAA and Chilean sea bass, see the NOAA news release and fact
sheet of March 25, 2002 on the Web at: http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases2002/mar02/noaa02031.html.